2925 - St. Louis

Lilly update... Lilly is in the CICU and still under sedation. Her heart operation went well. We will have to wait until later today to see what she thinks of all this.

Lilly update 2 - 1040 am... Just heard she is already off the ventilator and they are getting ready to feed her. Claudia and I are getting ready to head to the hospital.



Panoramic of the Arch.

Here's an 26 point ARTICLE on St. Louis and all the fun things about it. Written up in the Huffington Post. Not by a St. Louisan.

Here's a few points from the article. Go to the article itself for all 26 points and pictures.

1. It's one of the most charitable cities in America.

The 'Lou puts its (charitable) money where its mouth is. The city is consistently ranked as one of the most charitable cities in the country, having ranked ninth last year (and ahead of Chicago, to boot!). What makes St. Louis a true gem is its eagerness to give.


2. It treats access to the arts as a public right, not an exclusive privilege.

St. Louis has placed emphasis on the arts and cultural institutions as a way to elevate society, as evidenced by the special property tax that subsidizes the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District, which includes several of the city's world-class cultural institutions. As a result, most of them are free!


8. There's nothing like being a Cardinals fan, especially in one of the best ballparks in the country.

Baseball in St. Louis is an unavoidable annual celebration, with an influx of red-clad fans -- drinking Schlafly beer, obviously -- invading the downtown area each season. Plus, Yelp, Bleacher Report and Fox Sports have all ranked Busch Stadium as one of the top ten in the country for the views of the city, the hospitality of its staff and for the ability to see the game both in the stadium and outside!


17. You've never truly tasted frozen deliciousness until you've tasted Ted Drewes.

Frozen custard of all sorts of flavors! #pumpkinpie!


21. It's home to one of the best medical schools in the country. (where Lilly is)

Currently ranked as the sixth best medical school in the country by US News & World Report, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been ranked second two times (2003 and 2004) and has been on the top ten list since the rankings were first published.


23. There are free seats available for every performance in St. Louis' outdoor 11,000-seat theater.

The Muny, short for The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, is an outdoor musical amphitheatre located in Forest Park. About 1,500 seats in the last nine rows are available on a first come, first served basis for free -- for every single performance.